Liverpool knew they needed to win and they were into the Champions League next season. As it turns out, they could have set the bar lower and still would have finished in the top four, but Kopites are delighted that the club met their expectations and defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 in front of some fans at Anfield.
It was a composed, professional display from the Reds, just like their mid-week 3-0 win over Burnley. They gave up very little defensively and were creating plenty of chances offensively, perhaps even unlucky not to have scored more than twice.
Here are the full player ratings from Liverpool’s second straight clean sheet win to close a successful charge to the top four.
GK Alisson
Alisson did not put a foot wrong against Crystal Palace, though, in truth, his defense did not leave him with much to do. That was a welcome change for Kopites. The Brazilian keeper did have one smart stop of a whipped effort at goal from Andros Townsend’s wide set piece, as well as an easy gather of another one of his longshots. It was another solid performance from him.
Rating: 6.5
LB Andrew Robertson
Quietly, Andrew Robertson keeps creating consistent chances for his teammates and did his job well for another afternoon. According to WhoScored.com, the steady left back led the team with four key passes, and he had an easy time defensively.
Rating: 7.0
CB Rhys Williams
Rhys Williams passed up a great chance on a corner kick when Crystal Palace were busy talking among themselves instead of marking the Liverpool players. But as a whole, this was a decent performance from the 20-year-old. Williams was smart with the ball at his feet and didn’t make any significant errors.
Rating: 6.5
CB Nat Phillips
Although Nat Phillips completed fewer than 80 percent of his passes and made some questionable attempts with his passing, he had another quality performance defensively. Phillips marked the Crystal Palace forwards well, helped out Trent Alexander-Arnold when he needed to, and quickly cleared any potential danger before it could develop. His reputation continues to grow in Liverpool’s defense.
Rating: 6.5
RB Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold was very active on Matchday 38, moving up the pitch as often as he possibly could to support Mohamed Salah as an additional attacking outlet for Liverpool. TAA created chances and put in 4 accurate crosses on a whopping 13 attempts, but he had some sloppy touches and didn’t execute his defensive duties as well as in past games. By his standards, this wasn’t the best of performances, but it was still good enough.
Rating: 6.0
CM Fabinho
Crystal Palace gave Fabinho an awful lot of space to operate and join the attack, and he took full advantage of this. The Brazilian midfielder completed 92.7 percent of his passes and grew into the game. He had surprisingly little to do defensively, so he spent a lot of the game helping Liverpool recycle the ball in the attack, acting as a sort of “bridge” for the wide players and the forwards operating in the channels.
Rating: 7.0
CM Thiago Alcantara
Another excellent performance from Thiago, who continues to show why he is a world-class midfielder. The Spanish international led the way defensively with five tackles, two interceptions, and some smart fouls. Thiago is relentless when attempting to recover the ball, and Liverpool created great chances of because of his ability to quickly win the ball back for the team. He fits the Reds perfectly, especially his pinpoint passes to the fullbacks or wingers.
Rating: 7.5
CM Georginio Wijnaldum
After a couple of rough matches in what has been a down season for the Dutch midfielder, Gini Wijnaldum gave Kopites something to cheer on in what may have been his final match with Liverpool. Wijnaldum was tremendous offensively, showing his class with some trademark flicks into dangerous areas, creating chances with his body positioning and one-touch passes or feints. He completed three dribbles and had a subtle, but profound impact on the win for the Reds.
Rating: 7.0
LW Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane scored twice, and while neither goal was pretty, they were both examples of Mane taking advantage of a situation and getting the fortune that had been missing for most of the season. He showed great initiative to slide and tap in the opener, and his second goal was a deflected effort off his weaker left foot. Aside from the goals, Mane was exceptionally active in and around the box, linking up well with his teammates. In terms of his work-rate and threat to the opposition, this was a classic Mane performance and a welcome site to the fans.
Rating: 7.5
CF Roberto Firmino
It was a good day for the entire Liverpool front three, and while Roberto Firmino was the least involved of the trio, he still made his presence felt with three key passes and some real “heads up” passes. Firmino is one of those players who only needs to touch the ball a few times to make himself known, and so much of what he does involves attacking intelligence off the ball that makes life easier for those around him.
Rating: 7.0
RW Mohamed Salah
Although Mohamed Salah lost out on the Golden Boot to Harry Kane by failing to score on the same day that the Spurs star did, Salah came so close on multiple occasions. Sadio Mane scored the brace to lift Liverpool to the win, but Salah was close to him as the arguable Man of the Match. He was unplayable, creating for teammates and himself with some of the most delightful first touches and movements off the ball that you will see. Salah is capable of doing things that nobody else is in the Premier League, and he makes these plays multiple times per game.
Rating: 7.5